Born out of meditative vocal and movement improvisation, La Bonne Mer explores the archetype of "mother". Filmed in Marseille, France, the installation explores Mother Earth as represented by the Mediterranean Sea (la mer), and the divine Mother Mary (la mere) as she is displayed in the Notre-Dame de la Garde Basilica (nicknamed la "Bonne Mere").
Within these explorations, we create space to ponder the deconstruction of patriarchal notions of holiness. The ethereal tapestry of the improvised voices, poetry, and juxtapositions of the ocean and religious artifacts creates the experience of an immersive mass and sanctuary. Audiences are invited to participate by performing their own ablutions with ocean water, utilizing the sea artifacts, or contributing something of their own to the altar, all reflecting on what "creator" and "mother" mean to them.
The piece is a work within the concept of the Ecology of Emotion, being explored between Alisha Torrealba Erao (aka Lush Agave, Los Angeles) and Alex Alexopoulos (aka Wild Anima, France). Their creative and philosophical conversations around this topic have evolved into a framework for understanding the relationship between emotion and the natural world, as well as an embodied artistic practice rooted in listening, ritual, and ecological attunement. In looking to the earth as our mirror for how we feel and create, the earth becomes our mentor and co-creator.
CREDITS
Film and Music: Katy Corbus, Lush Agave, Margo Sanda, Wild Anima
Film Editing: Alisha Torrealba Erao
Music Production: Margo Sanda
Mastering: Andre Costa
Color Grading: Margo Sanda
Voice-overs: Wild Anima & Lush Agave
Poetry & Voice-over Editing: Wild Anima
ARTIST BIOS
Alisha Torrealba Erao (Lush Agave), is a vocalist, producer, filmmaker, and educator based in Los Angeles. Much of her work involves reimagining classically structured work through new mediums. She is interested in authentic connection between performer and audience, and the human and non-human world, creating safe and vulnerable spaces wherein we are invited to discover with collective emotion and healing. Alisha received her Bachelor’s in Vocal Performance at the University of Central Florida, and is currently pursuing an MFA in the VoiceArts program at California Institute of the Arts (CalArts).
In collaboration with Alex Alexopoulos (Wild Anima, France), their latest works explore the concept of the Ecology of Emotion. Their creative and philosophical conversations around this topic have evolved into a framework for understanding the relationship between emotion and the natural world, as well as an embodied artistic practice rooted in listening, ritual, and ecological attunement. In looking to the earth as our mirror for how we feel and create, the earth becomes our mentor and co-creator.
Alisha and Alex are joined in collaboration for this project with Margo Sanda (Italy), a music creator, performer and multimedia artist working in the realms of experimental art-pop and free improvisation. Margo recently graduated from Conservatorio Luca Marenzio Brescia (IT) with a Bachelor in Popular Music Composition and spent a year exchange at the Rytmisk Musikkonservatorium in Copenhagen (DK).
Katy Corbus (Los Angeles) as the final member of the creative team, is a musician, dancer, and aerialist. A second-generation queer artist and interdisciplinary practitioner, she is passionate about the interconnectedness of art, family, and community. She has taught creators of all ages across the performing arts, and cherishes time spent on collaborative projects like this one. Katy holds a BFA in Musical Theatre from Emerson College.